In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,197,179 and 4,269,675, there is disclosed a method and means for operating a plurality of chlor-alkali membrane cells by flowing catholyte from cell-to-cell sequentially while countercurrently flowing anolyte from cell-to-cell sequentially.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,474 discloses a bank of cationic permselective membrane cells operated with series (cell-to-cell) flow of the catholyte. The cell is illustrated as having flat monopolar electrodes.
Other patents which disclose electrolyte series flow are: U.S. Pat. No. 1,284,618; U.S. Pat. No. 3,899,403; and German No. 24 37 783.
It is an object of the present invention to provide electrolyte series flow in banks of membrane cells, especially those of bipolar electric conduction.
A further object is to provide electrolyte series flow in such membrane cells wherein the electrolyte flow from cell-to-cell is taken from a level above or near the tops of the electrodes of one cell and introduced to a level below the tops of the electrodes in the next cell in sequence.
A still further object is to provide electrolyte series flow in such cells by taking the electrolyte from de-gassing compartments located atop the cells and introducing the electrolyte to the next succeeding cell at a location which is preferably below the top of the electrodes.
Yet another object is to provide novel degassing compartments for installation atop specially designed cell banks, the de-gassing compartments containing means for causing electrolyte from a given cell to flow through down-comers in the next succeeding cell in the bank, the gases in the de-gassing compartments being preferably removed cumulatively.
These and other objects will be apparent to practitioners of the relevant arts from this disclosure.